The police across the country are on the lookout for people hanging life-sized dummies dressed in women and men’s clothing over bridges to apparently mimic suicides.

According to the authorities, there have been several such incidents in separate locations across the country in recent months and appear to be carried out by young people as a joke.

A video that has gone viral among social media users in Saudi Arabia falsely claimed to show a person hanging from a bridge in Riyadh.

The police are still searching for those responsible for the behavior that has been slammed as distressing and could potentially cause traffic accidents, according to a report in a local publication. A similar incident also took place in the city of Buraidah. A dummy — dressed in a traditional thobe and ghutra — was dropped off a bridge.

Col. Fawaj Al-Mayman, spokesman of Riyadh Police, said the individuals responsible for the incident have not yet been identified, but promised action would be taken against them.

In February, a similar video was posted on social media sites showing what appeared to be the body of a woman hanging from a pedestrian bridge in Al-Bawadi neighborhood in Jeddah.

It turned out to be a dummy dressed as a woman, police said.

Several weeks ago in Buraidah, a similar incident took place when a wooden doll was found suspended from a bridge wearing men’s clothing, causing distress to passersby.

Naif Al-Khamshi, a psychiatrist, said those responsible want to create chaos and seek attention. They want excitement and thrill.

Sultan Al-Makhlafi, a lawyer, said Islamic law forbids people from frightening others or threatening their security in any way. He said such behavior could cause psychological trauma and disturb traffic movement. Punishment should include jail time, he said.

Ahmed Al-Sudairi, a legal consultant and lawyer, said the suicide pranksters should be arrested and jailed.

The Ministry of Interior estimates that two suicides take place daily in the Kingdom, with victims including foreign workers and Saudis suffering from financial and psychological distress.